Addressing Dental Health Problems for Children Aged 5-14 years in Melbourne and its Suburbs - Report Example

Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation in Public Health Name: Institution: Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation in Public Health Project Title: Addressing Dental Health Problems for Children aged 5-14 years in Melbourne and its suburbs Goal: To develop a strategy for treatment of children experiencing dental health problems among the population. Objectives To enhance professional dental care for children at home and at schools in Melbourne in Australia. To implement various health services as measures to increase safety from tooth decay To improve the rate of use of water sealants in prevention of tooth decay in the pits and fissures within the teeth of school children. Strategies Introducing teachers and parents to methods of maintaining good oral hygiene so that they implement in the care for children. Educating teachers and parents about foods that should be avoided by children so that they do not develop tooth decay Introducing teachers and parents about various methods of treatment for children who experience tooth decay. Process Indicators Availability of stakeholders in the such as program educators to provide education to parents and teachers Availability of financial resources to manage all activities during implementation of the program. Availability of teaching aids that enable implementers illustrate particular topics during the program. Data Collection Methods Observation, personal interviews and audio-recording Impact/Outcome Indicators Increased awareness about foods that should not be taken to reduce tooth decay among children Understanding of methods in which Program Evaluation and Reporting Examples: Project Title: Design of program that Addresses Oral Health Problem among Children aged 5-14 years in Melbourne and its suburbs Goal: To reduce the rate of tooth decay among children in Melbourne by 80% Objective 1: To enhance professional dental care for children at home and at schools in Melbourne in Australia. Objective 2: To implement various health services as measures to increase safety from tooth decay Objective 3: To improve the rate of use of water sealants in prevention of tooth decay in the pits and fissures within the teeth of school children. Strategies: Objective 1: To enhance professional dental care for children at home and at schools in Melbourne in Australia Strategies: • Health education will be provided to children in schools to address oral health needs and reduce behaviors that contribute to oral problems • Physical education will be provided to children and teachers on methods of maintaining good oral health and preventing tooth decay • Families of children will be involved in education program to enhance the awareness of parents towards prevention of oral problems among children aged 5-14 years. Provision of nutrition programs in schools and at homes aimed at educating parents and teachers to enhance oral health of children. Increase awareness about consumption of foods that do not contribute to tooth decay Process indicators: • Recruit teachers and parents of school children in all schools in Melbourne and its environs into the oral health program to increase awareness about oral hygiene among them. Indicator: Number of parents and teachers who agree to participate in the program Evaluation methods: review service/client records, observation • Recruit and train young Aboriginal women as peer workers to provide information and increase health literacy on tobacco consumption Indicators: Implementation of the recommendations of the program in maintaining oral hygiene of school children. Evaluation method: Increased awareness about methods of preventing tooth decay and maintaining good oral hygiene among children in Melbourne and its environs. Process indicators: • Develop nutritional strategies aimed at ensuring children do not consume foods that contribute to tooth decay. Indicators: Increased awareness about the kinds of foods that should be avoided by young children so that tooth decay is prevented. Evaluation methods: Reduced number of children who experience tooth decay as a result of consumption of particular kinds of foods. Impact and Outcome indicators: Objective 1: To implement various health services as measures to increase safety from tooth decay. Strategies: teaching teachers and parents about methods that can be used to treat children who are experiencing the problem of tooth decay. Provide teachers and parents with various forms of education aimed at empowering them with methods of maintaining good oral hygiene as well as treatment for tooth decay. Impact indicators: Ability of parents to direct their children to avoid particular behaviors that can cause harm to their teeth and also avoiding foods that can cause tooth decay. Another impact indicator will be a reduction in cases of tooth decay among children in Melbourne as a result of implementation of the program. Impact and Outcome indicators: Goal: To develop a strategy for treatment of children experiencing dental health problems among the population Objective 3: To improve the rate of use of water sealants in prevention of tooth decay in the pits and fissures within the teeth of school children. Outcome indicators: Ability of parents to understand the use of water sealants as a measure for preventing tooth decay. Reporting and dissemination of the findings: Process findings will be reported by presenting the notes taken during the program to stakeholders such as regional health officers and government representatives. Impact and outcome findings will involve a report that will be presented to stakeholders such as government health representatives, parents and the school teachers regarding the capacity acquired by the participants in prevention of oral health problems among children in the region (Central Sydney Area Health Service and NSW Health, 1994). How the Program will be put into operation I. Financial resources to be used In order to make the program successful, it will need financial allocations such as transport costs for moving from one location to another. In addition, more financial resources will be needed to purchase teaching equipment and enable securing venues where teaching will be provided to participants in the program. II. Human Resources There are a variety of human resources that will be necessary to accomplish the program. For instance, professionals in oral hygiene will be recruited to provide teaching on methods in which oral hygiene needs to be enhanced to prevent tooth decay (Keleher, 2007). III. Physical resources The main physical resource that will be required is the venue where participants will be taught about oral hygiene measures. Thus, it will be necessary to ensure a hall is secured to achieve this objective or a particular area is set aside for the purpose of achieving this objective (Owen, 2006). Another physical resource will include teaching aids such as boards and demonstration equipment that enables the participants understand the problem effectively. Another physical resource that may be necessary is an ambulance that enables movement of health care professionals from one location to another. IV. Challenges in acquisition of resources Challenges may be experienced in the effort to acquire the resources. For instance, there may be inadequate finance and it may be difficult to purchase teaching equipment that enable participants understand the topic effectively. In some cases, there may be difficulty in obtaining vehicles for moving from one location to another during the program. V. Summary of the program Generally, the program will involve educating teachers and parents of all schools in Melbourne and its environs about oral health measures that can reduce tooth decay among children (Patton, 2008). The program will involve selecting teachers and parents who will be trained on how to implement oral hygiene measures after which they will be required to implement the recommendations in the care for their children. PART 2: Program Evaluation and Reporting Form of Evaluation to be used The form of evaluation to be used will be testing the participants. This is where the participants will be asked to explain whether they have understood various components of the program that contribute to prevention of tooth decay among school children. For instance, they will be asked to explain the manner in which nutrition should be provided so that children are protected from tooth decays (Pilotto, et al. 2011). They will also be asked to explain the use of various methods of treatment for children who are experiencing tooth decay. Another area where testing will be provided is the use of water sealants as a method of treatment for children who have the problem of tooth decay. Methods of Evaluation to be used The main evaluation method will be the ability of the parents and teachers to provide education to children on the methods of preventing tooth decay as explained to them during the program. for instance, it will be demonstrated by the confidence of teachers and parents to educate children on the methods of developing oral hygiene (Yeboah, 2005). For instance, the evaluation will determine the ability of teachers to educate children on integration of nutrition guidelines that enable them prevent tooth decay as well as develop a healthy lifestyle that ensure they do not cause physical injuries to their teeth. Evaluation will also involve the ability of teacher to integrate oral health into the curricula so that children are empowered to manage their oral health and prevent the possibility of undergoing tooth decay. Evaluation will also involve the ability of teachers to provide children with physical education such as skills, and games that enhance their oral health and ensure they develop strong teeth. The team involved in dissemination of the program will determine the ability of school heads to recommend the use of facilities that ensure oral health of children are kept paramount such as the use of mouth guards and headgears when playing or when involved in physical activities (Petersen & Alexander, 2013). In addition, evaluation process will involve determining the extent to which teachers are able to integrate oral health in school nutrition programs such as the consumption of foods that do not contribute to tooth decay a and general oral hygiene such as brushing teeth. The school oral health programs will be evaluated in terms of the ability of educators and counselors to provide counseling services to children to avoid behaviors that can contribute to oral problems such as physical injury to teeth or consumption of foods that enhance tooth decay. It will also involve determination of the ability of counselors and educators to reach out to children in the schools and promote good oral practices based on the teaching they were provided during the program. Finally, the evaluation method to be used will be the assessment of the ability of parents to enhance oral health at home based on the teachings during the program. Parents who will attend the workshops will be evaluated in terms of their ability to provide support to their children so that they develop good oral hygiene based on the teachings during the program. They will also be evaluated in terms of their ability to enhance the use of treatment methods such as water sealants to protect children who have teeth that have decayed. Methods to be used in measuring the process indicators An example of a method to be used in measuring the effectiveness of the process is the ability of teachers, parents, educators and counselors to grasp the concepts which are explained by program disseminators. for instance, the success of the process will be determined by the ability of participants to understand various oral hygiene practices that must be implemented in order to protect children who are undergoing the problem of tooth decay (Rabinowitz, 2014). Another method to be used in measuring process is the ability of program disseminators to explain the concepts that can be understood by participants during the program. For instance, the ability to illustrate a point effectively and explain a particular process so that participants can implement the concepts in enabling children overcomes oral health problems. For instance, it will involve determining how the educators are able to illustrate the use of water sealants to protect the teeth of children from continued decay. Methods of measuring the impact and outcome indicators The ability of teachers and counselors to integrate the lessons during the program into school programs aimed at educating children to maintain good oral health. For instance, the impact of the program will be determined by a reduction in cases of tooth decay after the implementation of the program. The ability of teachers to integrate the recommendations of the program into the school curricula so that oral health of children is enhanced will also be used as a method of measuring the impact of the program. The curricular will be expected to be one that contributes significantly towards a reduction in behaviors that can cause damage to teeth as well as the ability of children to develop good oral hygiene behaviors while at school. In addition, the impact of the program will be determined by the ability of health care providers in the suburbs of Melbourne to design services that promote oral health of children in the region. These include provision of preventive health care services and emergency services for children who have undergone oral problems that require immediate attention. It will also involve determining the abilities of school-based nurses to implement the teachings of the program to develop preventive practices that enable children overcome oral health problems while they are at school. How Various Stakeholders will be involved Examples of stakeholders that will be involved in the program are professionals who are competent in oral health. They will be responsible for provision of oral health knowledge to the participants during the program. Other stakeholders are local schools and neighborhoods in Melbourne. These are communities where the program will target children who are susceptible to various forms of oral health and the program will be focused on addressing their oral health needs. In addition, parents and teachers in the neighborhood of Melbourne will be stakeholders in the program. They will be responsible for implementing the recommendations of the program in the care for children at home and school so that they do not develop oral hygiene problems. Resources needed The main resource required will be motor vehicle such as an ambulance that will enable transportation of program staff from one location to another during the program. The ere will also be the need to secure a hall where the pragma will be held. This could be obtained by acquiring a building in a strategically located place that can be reached by participants. It will also be necessary to set aside financial needs for various expenses during the program such as buying refreshments and paying event organizers. Ethical Issues to be observed during the program There are a number of ethical issues that will be complied with during the program. for instance, the authorities in the suburbs of Melbourne will be contacted and asked to allow the program organizers conduct the program. In addition, the program organizers will ensure they do not infringe on the privacy of the participants during the program. For instance, they will not be involved in discussion of personal issues with the participants. Another ethical issue that will be observed is ensuring the participants are not provided with information that can be detrimental to children if implemented in improving their oral health. On the other hand, the goal of the program will mainly focus on practices that are beneficial to oral health of children. This implies that the program will hold the health and welfare of children paramount while it will be underway. Methods to be used in reporting the findings When the program is completed, a report will be compiled in a typed document that will be presented to stakeholders in a number of ways. For instance, a PowerPoint presentation will be made and presented to stakeholders and a similar copy in word document will be printed and bound after which it will be distributed to stakeholders. both reports will contain the findings and recommendations of the program. References Central Sydney Area Health Service and NSW Health. (1994). Program management guidelines for health promotion. Retrieved from http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/public-health/panorg/pdfs/ProgMan_HP_planning_guideline.pdf Keleher, H. (2007). Health promotion planning and the social determinants of health. In H. Keleher, B. Murphy, & C. MacDougall (Eds.), Understanding health promotion (pp. 113–133). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. Owen, J. M. (2006). Program evaluation: Forms and approaches (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Allen & Unwin. Patton, M. Q. (2008) Utilisation-focussed evaluation. (4th ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Pilotto, L., Heinjus, S., Hanlon, L., Reid, J., & Permezel, J. (2011). Development of a primary healthcare nursing program in small rural Riverina communities. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management, 6(2), 39–44. Yeboah, D. A. (2005). A framework for place based health planning. Australian Health Review, 29(1), 30–36. Petersen, D. J., & Alexander, G. R., (2013). Needs assessment in public health: A practical guide for students and professionals (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer. Rabinowitz, P. (2014). ‘Participatory approaches to planning community interventions.’ In KU Work Group for Community Health and Development (Eds.),  Read More